Let's talk about meat for a second....

There's typically 2 trains of thought when it comes to meat:

You're either for it, and will vehemently argue the benefits, or you're against it and your mantra is it's murder.

Meat is the connective tissue for bones.  Let's assume in this conversation we're talking about a cow.  There are different cuts of meat from a cow.  Some meats are tender due to non-use (i.e. veal and cuts of steak such as filet mignon).   Other meats are tough such as brisket.  Some times, it's just all ground up with a fat content label (such as 20% or 30%; think hamburger meat) and even other times, it's ground to a paste-like consistency, stuffed with fillers and made into tubes of a meat-product like hot dogs.

If you're into eating meat, you probably are in the wrong place.  I'm not shaming anyone, or making them feel like crap, or even going to gross them out with slaughterhouse videos.  But I wanted to put that out there, so you know that while I'm vegan, unlike so many (ahem, a prominent woman in Australia calling people who eat eggs a "chicken muff diver") I am not bashing you.

I will say this- do you understand what lymph is?  Lymph is basically the body's cellular sewage system.  Yes, we all know how bodily plumbing works, but did you know on a cellular level, your body does the same thing that the larger sum does?  It takes in nutrients, gets fed and creates waste.  This waste is drained out by your lymphatic system.  This is the exact same with animals.  When you eat meat, you are eating the lymphatic system of animals.  You're eating the cellular waste that gets trapped in muscles and other tissue.  We've all heard the term "you are what you eat".  Well, what are you when you eat another animal's cellular refuse?

When hunters kill a deer (and bear with me on this, my husband used to hunt.), when it's shot- if it's not shot in the heart dropping it immediately- it gets a surge of adrenaline coursing through it's body into every muscle cell fiber giving it a fight-or-flight response, in the hopes of saving it's life.  This makes the meat tough and gamey.  Because of that adrenaline rush, it alters the meat.

The same thing happens in slaughterhouses and commercial farms where animals are raised and killed specifically for their meat.  There is an adrenaline rush when the animal is stunned to be slaughtered, or is dispatched, regardless of how humane the killing is claimed to be.

Another thing to consider when eating meat is why is your dog more valuable than a cow?  Ever seen a cow play?  They do.  Ever see how intelligent cows can be, because they have curiosity and respond to simple commands, they even display love.  These are all things your dog has, so why value your dog over a cow?  Because it fits in your car or lap?  Because they can walk with you?  Because they do tricks?

I didn't want to turn this into a "meat is murder" kind of blog post.  That's not my intention.  Do I believe meat is murder?  Eh, the jury is still out on that for me.  Do I think that I will ever kill another animal (I had chickens that had to be slaughtered one time for our farm.  I didn't want to do it.  For the record, my last chicken is my pet Annie.  I love this bird more than I ever thought I'd love a chicken!)?  no.

Here's the deal- people are so incredibly disassociated from where their food comes from that they don't relate that cow in the field chewing cud to the burgers on our plate.  They change the name in the supermarket.  It's not a cow in there, it's beef.  No pig, it's pork.  Oh wait, you want ground pig in an intestinal tube?  Oh, we call that sausage here.

If you're going to eat meat- that's your choice.  I'm not going to stop you.  I'm not going to even say anything to you, and I won't hold my nose in the air and walk by in an air of superiority.  None of that is my place.  It's your choice.  And I would hope that for your health and the animals, that you would choose the kinder path for everyone involved.

****My husband says I'm coming across like I'm bashing meat eaters.  I'm not.  I used to be one.  I'm also not going to coddle people into thinking that ending an animal's life will give them nutrients they can't get from plants.  I am going to end it here, hoping you'll be kind too.****

Are you a failure? No, you're not.

Fell back again yesterday. :(

I wasn't prepared.  I made pizza for the family and OMG, it smelled so good.  I am the primary food prep for my family.  Now Zoe does a great job, but there are things she doesn't know, and I was in NO WAY prepared for yesterday.  Breakfast should have been ready, or at least prepared the night before.  (FTR, I am prepared today.)

But I wanted to encourage you if you backslide.  Check out this video from TannyRaw. She has some wonderful advice here. 

My goal is to be LOW FAT raw vegan.  Right now I"m in a mid-fat raw vegan range.  I need to learn how to satiate my pallet.  I am focusing on those who have been where I am and I'm going to follow in their footsteps.  How can I help encourage you?

Blessings, Rawkstars!

Not a good day.

Today started off well.  I woke up, drank some water, had strawberries with the rest of my cashew cream ice cream (melted overnight in the fridge.  maybe 1/4 cup.)  went shopping with the husband and kids and planned on going to a birthday party with my family to a treasured friend's home.

So at lunch (after shopping) I went and got a salad, and even skipped the croutons.  Very proud of myself.  Then in walked temptation.  I'm talking the kind of temptation that is smoking hot, right in your face and calling you, nay- beckoning you to share in the sinful pleasures it brings.  Yeah, I thought I was ready.

Not a chance.  Today was blown during and after lunch.

I told you that I was going to do total transparency to not only hold myself and have you hold me accountable.  Boy, there is some accountability needed here....  (at least I'm not a guru in the health world..... yet. ;) )

This morning:

Sliced strawberries (about a pound) with some cashew cream.  Let me tell you, this was absolute heaven for me!  It was everything that screams summer breakfast.  Light, delicious, creamy, sweet, and yumtastic.

Lunch:

I went shopping so I got a salad out.  A garden salad; no cheese, no croutons, just veggies.  1- it was a mediocre salad at best.  most of the veggies were wilted and there was a slight watery goo at the bottom of the bowl.  Which means that salad was there at least a week or two.  SO not happy with that, but I trudged on like a good soldier.  then in walks my husband with popeye's chicken.   it went down hill from there.

Then I went to a kid's birthday party and I dove onto the plate of rice krispie treats like a zombie on soft organs.  :/  It was bad.  I then had a hot dog.

0 days meat free as of today.  Mea culpa, y'all.

BUT the key to life is love, and in love, I have to love myself.  Which means I have to forgive myself and move on.  After all, nothing good happens when you wallow, and absolutely zero moving forward is equivalent to death.

I am inundating myself with life and positivity.   Going to meditate on some positive thoughts, and I'll catch you tomorrow with my update!

Hugs and love!  And don't forget- you Rawk!

Challenge.

I wrote you yesterday saying that I was dying.  I am on the road to a massive coronary, stroke, kidney and liver failure, and a slew of other health problems, up to and including death prematurely, from completely preventable diseases.

Today I was on my personal facebook page and I said that I wanted to be the healthiest person I know.  Well, I inadvertently put out a challenge by doing so.  The thing is:  being the healthiest person you know; there isn't a standard.  It's comparing yourself to who you were before, and your habits to those around you.

No, this isn't an "act better than anyone else" kind of thing, it's "is my health better than everyone I know?".  When a friend has allergies or is sick, or whatever- are you healthier than that?  And are you SURE?

This can quickly turn "ugly", but I want to encourage you to be the healthiest YOU can be.  

See?  This is why I'll likely never make money off of my blog.  I can't get my thoughts out correctly.

 Meanwhile, I'm going to try to write what I eat on a daily basis, and hold myself accountable and hope you hold me accountable as well!  I also want to start vlogging, but yeah- be forewarned; I SUCK at that.  Once I figure it out, I'll gladly get everything up and running for your viewing pleasure.

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I'm dying.

Y'all, I'm dying.  If I don't do something about my health NOW, I will die before my children graduate.  The oldest is 10.  If I don't do something now, I will become a burden on my husband and children, and I will never see my children get married.  I won't know my grand children.

Scary thought, huh?

Yeah.  It was for me.  It hit me like a freight train that I am on the path to destruction.  So, what do I do?  I am focusing on my health.

There are so many things wrong with me:  my heart, my ovaries, my thyroid, my spine, my liver, my kidneys- everything needs an overhaul.

So, Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's back to raw I go....

I leave this lifestyle on occasion for any variety of reasons, but now I have all the reason to stay.  If I don't succeed, I will truly lose the most precious thing I can give my family- myself.  No, that's not selfish or conceited.  How many children are better off without their mother, when the mother loves and wants to be part of their life; the mother encourages them and helps them achieve their goals and teaches them more than just how to be an ambiguous member of society?  None.

So, here I am, working on me.  I am in the process of leaning heavily on people like Markus Rothkranz, and Cara Brotman, and Ani Phyo, and Shazzie Love, and David Wolfe, and Fully Raw Kirstina, and even Dr. Douglas Graham.

I want to live!  The desperation has never been greater for me, so I am going to live through raw foods.